Critical Recap: Critical Role C4E17 “The Place of Wings”

Hello and welcome to Critical Recap! I’m Dani Carr, the Critical Role Senior Lore Keeper. Let’s dive into Critical Role Campaign 4 Episode 17 The Place of Wings!

A PUBLIC GOOD

25 years ago, in the Nest and Natter tavern of Dol-Makjar’s Caravan Hill, Murray Mag’Nesson nurses a drink after a long day of construction on House Cormoray’s manor. She is on her Hucklewend, in which she and a few other dwarves are to do public good and represent the dwarves of Ozaht. She doesn’t feel like building a house for a noble family is a public good. Murray overhears a halfling, Ellipides, discussing tuition woes. Ellipides is hopeful about the school’s future, even though they’ve only found half of one word of power, and doesn’t want the bills to fall to the students.

Murray buys a round of drinks for the academics, making their acquaintance. They work at the Penteveral, which has just this year achieved university status with four classrooms. Murray can get them gems for spell components and to fund research. Her family, famous gemstone merchants of the Sunset Mountains, could offer funding. The school is in need of a bursar, and Murray would be perfect.

WINGS

In the present day, at Tannesar, Vaelus is lifted into the air by a flurry of nightingales, compelled to bring out the Stone of Nightsong. Julien knocks the stone out of her hand and Thaisha catches it. Both women recall important deaths in their lives as they both begin to cross over. Thaisha recalls when her son Alogar fell from a tree and she cast spare the dying to save his life – the first time she used druidic magic. Vaelus sees that tree, then recalls the death of her sister during Sylandri’s final battle. Thaisha sees this elven warrior fall before the Last Arrow is fired at the Goddess of Life.

Vaelus can now connect to the Stone of Nightsong, her grief a bridge. The nightingales rush Thaisha and into Vaelus, returning the stone to her hands. Vaelus has a vision of a winged celestial holding the body of another dying celestial. This stone was not created to be admired – it was created to be used. The stone can cast the spells ceremony, spare the dying, gentle repose, and speak with dead. Thaisha can no longer hear the nightingales, but she and Vaelus now have a very deep connection.

Julien and Occtis are confused by what just occurred. Julien focuses on the bodies of his fellow bannermen, while Occtis and Thaisha argue. Vaelus can sense something strange about the celestial energy of Tannesar; it’s been desecrated in some way. Dr. Talter reads the celestial writing on the gates: “Shadow and Flame, twin houses united evermore in the service of the sun, who we revere in the glory of day, and in the faith of night.” The writing refers to Houses Halovar and Tachonis.

STING

In the Tannesar Forchamber, they find more bodies of the Barrowguard and a base camp set up for excavation. When Occtis casts Dancing Lights, a giant scorpion attacks Julien. Occtis recognizes this scorpion – this is Saharkis, a trained scorpion that belongs to his cousin Tertia. Julien kills Saharkis, but now the dead shift around them. Occtis notices glowing stones, an enchanted glass that was brought and placed here. This is the defilement that Vaelus felt.

They battle the skeletons and Julien levels up, dipping into his Daredevil subclass. Occtis recalls the way his family would belittle him about magic, treating it like something he was supposed to innately understand. He blasts a piece of glowing glass, remembering how his father only wanted Occtis to not embarrass them further with his lack of gift. But his studies at the Penteveral gave him his own gift, his own skills that no one from his family could teach him.

Occtis levels up, casting false life on himself to survive the onslaught of animated skeletons, and Dame Seremai comes to his defense, destroying the last skeleton. She is still a vassal knight of House Tachonis.

MISSIVES

The group takes a short rest and Thaisha gives final rites to the fallen bannermen. Occtis and Vaelus investigate the Tachonis tents. He finds letters and missives from his family and evidence that this site was abandoned in a hurry. As Thaisha goes over the bodies of the fallen, she recognizes one as Pascard Velmonte, who gave her the strange coffin to be delivered to Thjazi Fang. She does not understand why his body is here. Did her friend attack the Barrowguard and her own son?

Vaelus finds a letter that speaks of a celestial called Olbalad, of a trail gone cold that the ‘Drowned Men’ must have gotten to first. The notes mention a final experiment that was a partial success, but largely a failure. This experiment involved Tertia – her innate gifts and connections to the Tenebral Reaches thwarted the crafting of the ‘calcidial prosthesis’. She will be missed. Other missives explain that the Halovars are a dead end, as some sort of power renders them immune to the procedure.

Another letter from Primus states that a new source of calcidion has been discovered, but ‘the Cloak’ is moving faster than anticipated. He ponders if the obelisk holds fast in Tannesar, does the sacrifice itself have to happen in Tannesar, as well? They have to risk it, because they cannot keep their forces hidden outside the Orchard and they can’t chance the Sea Door closing.

THE DEAD AND GONE

Occtis pieces together Tannesar’s schematics. The Deva Vindicta is the creature the Tachonis are creating. The Hall of the Demon Guardians guards the central chamber. The Apotheon Vindicta is the central chamber that holds the magic to create the Deva. Beneath that is the Sepulchral Veil. Then there is a bridge over a subterranean lake that reaches the Apotheotic Obelisk. Other chambers speak of potions and the preparation of dead bodies.

Vaelus, with Thaisha’s permission, casts speak with dead via the Stone of Nightsong – a stone created so that no one would have to walk into the dark alone. Vaelus sees Pascard and asks what happened here. “Chaos,” he responds.

That is it for Episode 17 of Critical Role!

FINAL THOUGHTS

• Okay so for sure Occtis is that sacrifice that Primus was talking about. Apparently the sacrifice DOESN’T have to be in Tannesar!
• Poor scorpion pet. He was just looking for his mom! Apparently House Tachonis makes a habit of sacrificing their kids?
• Let’s see what Pascard has to say about this chaos!

Catch Episode 18 of Critical Role Campaign 4 on Thursday, March 5th at 7pm Pacific on beacon.tv, where Beacon members get access to the entire episode, podcast included! The episode will also release on twitch.tv/criticalrole and on youtube.com/criticalrole and in two parts on our podcast. Is it Thursday yet?